Radial endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) provides a minimally invasive option when clinical presentation indicates that tissue biopsy within the pulmonary passages is necessary. Conventional R-EBUS transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) involves delivering a radial ultrasound probe to the target airway through the working channel of a bronchoscope, visualizing the target pulmonary nodule on R-EBUS, locking placement of an access sheath, removing the radial ultrasound probe from the access sheath and then blindly advancing a biopsy needle to acquire cellular matter for cytologic evaluation. The inability to visualize the biopsy needle until after the tissue sampling procedure has been initiated often results in the biopsy needle completely missing the target nodule. To help ensure that the target nodule is successfully biopsied, the medical professional typically actuates the biopsy needle into the pulmonary tissue multiple times while rotating the bronchoscope. Such repetitive biopsy needle actuations may result in a variety of negative medical outcomes, including, unnecessary trauma to healthy tissues, excessive bleeding, pleural sac punctures (e.g., pneumothorax), blood vessel punctures, increased procedure duration and/or cost and potentially misdiagnosis (e.g., false-negatives).
There may be a clinical advantage, particularly in the field of pulmonary endoscopy, for a tissue sampling system which allows a medical professional to visualize a biopsy needle and target tissue in real-time prior to the first needle actuation.